ALEXANDRIA YOUNOSSI
Deloitte Consulting
Senior Consultant
Age: 29

Alexandria Younossi, a senior consultant with Deloitte Consulting, truly practices what she preaches. “My passion is really people,” says Younossi, who is with the firm’s Human Capital practice. As she advises life sciences companies how to build up their talent, she’s also looking to do the same at Deloitte. Last year, she launched a mentoring program that focused on women and other minorities at the consultancy. “I want Deloitte to be an inclusive place,” she says.

Her goal of a diverse community is one that started at home—Younossi is from a bicultural family. “I live diversity; I don’t think about it as anything more than a part of me.” However, she understands the issues around being a minority at the firm and has worked hard to ensure the playing field is as level as possible. Through group mentoring sessions, she says, others are able to address their concerns and challenges with people who are facing the same ones. “What keeps people at Deloitte,” she says, “is knowing that people support you, and that’s what makes the difference.”

Younossi’s goal at Deloitte is to make partner—and she’s well on her way. “I feel very lucky because I have formed the right relationships, and I have several mentors right now. I don’t think I would be where I am today [without those influences].”

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MICHAEL MIRAFLORES
Ernst & Young
Manager
Age: 28

Michael Miraflores, a manager of transaction integration at Ernst & Young’s Transaction Advisory Services division, sees his age as “a blessing disguised as a challenge,” he says. “Advising on transactions oftentimes places me across the table from C-suite executives with decades of experience. Recognizing this fact is what drives me to maintain a strong work ethic, go that extra mile, and earn the credibility that makes my clients and colleagues look past my age.”

And Miraflores certainly has gone that extra mile. Of particular note is an engagement he had with an auto manufacturer where the 28-year-old led the $7.4 billion operations and risk management carve-out teams of the manufacturer’s financial services arm. “Since it was a high-profile deal, it definitely was exciting to be in the middle of all the action. However, the most fulfilling part of the engagement was realizing that all the planning and hard work paid off.”

Miraflores, who lives in New York City and spends his off hours either taking in the culture of the city or brushing up on his tennis skills, says he sees himself staying with the firm, and advancing in the merger integration field. And clearly Miraflores has integrated himself into the firm where nominator and Ernst colleague Mohamed Rafiq Batcha says he has a “gift for establishing personal working relationships with clients.”

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RYAN KOBB
IBM Global Business Services
Senior Consultant
Age: 26

The most rewarding part of Ryan Kobb’s job, he says, is the knowledge that his work can make the United States a better place. While that seems like a lofty goal, Kobb, who is a senior consultant with IBM Global Business Services, is doing his part by working with more than 20 major federal agencies, effectively supporting their efforts to transform the human resources function in the federal government. He has participated in the development of several key technical documents including government-wide enterprise architecture and target requirements for human resources functions. “The public sector presents a lot of unique challenges, but I think you can make a real impact and you can affect the country in a very positive way,” Kobb says. “The work I do is trying to transform the HR functions of the government, so users will receive better customer service and save taxpayers money. And that, of course, means those financial resources can be allocated to other projects.” One specific example is the Office of Personnel Management where Kobb’s work is expected save the federal government more than $1 billion.

Internally, he has been recognized by IBM as one of the top performers in his peer group of more than 100 public sector consultants, and he received an IBM service excellence award in 2006. “IBM rewards hard work. The firm has always been great about recognizing people who have excelled,” Kobb says. “But I’ve had a lot of help along the way. I’ve been fortunate to have had some great mentoring at the firm, whether it’s been my managers, project leaders or even peers who have shown me what it means to be a good leader and a good consultant.”

And Kobb will have the chance to become an even better consultant. He says his plans, for the foreseeable future at least, are to continue his work in the public sector at IBM.